Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Last week’s results show on The Voice was a bit anti-climactic.

Especially once we learned only one singer would go home.

Especially once voting ended with Holly Tucker trailing the other contestants badly on iTunes.

Country singers Danielle Bradbery and Amber Carrington will square off yet again Monday night on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

This week?

I’m expecting lots more suspense as the Top 5 battle it out for — presumably — three spots in the finals.

Danielle Bradbery and Michelle Chamuel are still the top two, by a wide margin.

That leaves Amber Carrington, Sasha Allen and The Swon Brothers basically battling for the chance to survive until next week and hope for an upset.

Sasha Allen is coming off one of her best weeks on The Voice, and will need another to make the finals. (NBC Photo)

On with the rankings …

1. Danielle Bradbery (1): Well, it’s time for Blake Shelton to stop playing it safe and challenge Danielle. We all know the 16-year-old has that wonderful voice. We all know she has incredible poise for someone so young. But two more weeks like last week, and she and Blake might be wondering how The Voice title slipped from their grasp. Doing things like giving Danielle a second Pam Tillis song (“Shake the Sugar Tree”) just because the first (“Maybe It Was Memphis”) worked so well isn’t going to create the moment she needs to seal this deal.

2. Michelle Chamuel (2): Her own pick of Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” was brilliant. And she was rewarded by becoming the first artist not named Danielle to crack the iTunes Top 10. She also topped Danielle on iTunes with both of her performances last week. Before last week, only The Swon Brothers had ever finished above Danielle. In other words, folks, this race for the Season 4 crown is tightening. And the performer with the fire in her eyes, the one who looks like a nerd before she hits the stage and turns into a dynamo, could pull it out.

3. Sasha Allen (6): Two weeks ago, Shakira said if Sasha got sent home it would be the coach’s fault to serving up the wrong song. Well, Shakira sure got it right last week, looking across The Voice landscape, realizing the popularity of country music and asking Sasha to deliver Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” with a dash of New York sass. She delivered, after delivering a fine version of “Ain’t No Way” earlier in the show. There’s no doubt in my mind that Sasha belongs in the finals based on vocal talent. But she’s probably going to need a week as good as last to make it.

4. Amber Carrington (3): Funny, head to iTunes, and you can find a video of Amber singing “I Knew You Were Trouble.” Quite well, as a matter of fact. Yet it became a moment for Michelle while Amber decided to reach back to the early 1960s and sing Patsy Cline’s “Crazy.” She did it justice, but it was still only the fifth most popular country song of the night on iTunes. Song choice has been a bit of a problem for Amber and her coach, Adam Levine. A problem they’d better figure out quickly or Adam’s going to be without a singer in the finals for the second straight season.

5. The Swon Brothers (4): Well, “Okie from Muskogee” was a lot of fun, but not quite the fan favorite coach Blake Shelton was probably expecting. Only Holly Tucker’s performances did worse on iTunes last week. And the saucy saloon dancers stole a bit of Zach and Colton’s thunder on their other song (“Wagon Wheel”). I’ve got them ranked fifth, but that doesn’t mean they can’t make the finals. In a Voice season dominated by sensational female soloists, they offer a change of pace, and a fun one at that. If Blake is wise, he’ll let them be current and fun twice Monday night.